1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to permanently applied coatings for articles, and more specifically to a chemically bonded elastomer or polymer coating for metal buttons, snaps, caps, and the like, and a method of permanently applying and bonding such a coating to such a metal article.
2. Description of the Related Art
Buttons, snaps, small plastic and metal caps, rivet heads, etc., have all been used for quite some time for securing various articles together, particularly in the clothing and apparel field. Buttons, snaps, etc. are commonly used as removable or openable closures and fasteners for clothing, while rivets are often used as permanent reinforcement means for highly stressed points in casual and work clothing. With most of the above types of fasteners, manufacturers have seen the desirability of providing some decorative appearance for the fasteners, in order to make them more attractive and thereby increase their sales to clothing manufacturers and to retail customers. In addition, such coatings increase the longevity of the metal fasteners to which they are applied, by precluding corrosion of the underlying metal base.
Various means of providing a more attractive appearance for such fasteners have been developed, from molding decorative relief patterns or designs in their surfaces, to providing different shapes and colors, to providing decorative coatings thereover. In many cases, it has been particularly desirable to cover such buttons with fabric material, particularly in the case of metal buttons, snaps, and the like. The fabric provides a more pleasing touch to the user, consistent with the feel of the fabric of the article to which they are attached, and reduces the sensation of heat or cold often felt when handling bare metal buttons, with their relatively low specific heat. However, such fabric coatings are almost universally mechanically secured to buttons, by crimping about the edge of the buttons or other means, rather than by chemically bonding the material to the button. Painting such buttons has also been used, but the relatively hard paint will often chip in a short period of time, under normal wear and tear.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a means of coating metal buttons, snaps, and other fasteners with an elastomer or relatively soft polymer material, so the button will be soft and pleasant to the touch. The material should be chemically bonded to the button, in order to avoid problems of separation of the elastomer material from the fastener after a short period of time, and to avoid the complications of mechanical attachment means otherwise required.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,214,030 issued on Sep. 10, 1940 to Joseph L. Pereles, titled "Button," describes a button formed of two premolded or preformed components, with a planar sheet (picture, fabric material, etc.) sandwiched therebetween. The upper portion is a hard, transparent plastic secured to the opposite portion of the button, unlike the present invention in which a liquid coating is applied to the button, and then cured in place on the button. Moreover, Pereles fastens or seals his solid plastic button top to the button base only around the common periphery between the two components, rather than providing a continuous bonding at all points between the two components. Pereles cannot use such bonding, due to the intermediate layer between the two outer components, whereas the present invention is devoid of any such intermediate planar materials, with the upper elastomer or polymer being bonded directly to the metal beneath.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,397,856 issued on Apr. 2, 1946 to John J. Hagerty, titled "Decorative Button," describes a button having an opaque plastic base with a transparent or translucent crown cemented thereto. The crown includes a concave underside, so the only contact between crown and base is at the periphery, similar to the Pereles button discussed above. As in the Pereles button, the plastic top and base are cured, solid, non-elastic components which are then assembled together, rather than having an upper portion molded as a liquid to conform with the lower portion and being secured thereto about the entire interface therebetween, as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,513,182 issued on Jun. 27, 1950 to Herman Koehl et al., titled "Covered Buttons, Buckles, And The Like," describes multiple piece buttons and buckles wherein the pieces mechanically secure together to capture the periphery of a separate piece of fabric or other sheet material across the top of the device. No chemical bonding of a homogeneous plastic material to the metal substrate of the button is disclosed, as provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,535,794 issued on Dec. 26, 1950 to Charles H. Hempel, titled "Method Of Preparing Ferrous Metal Objects For The Application Of Synthetic Resins," describes a method wherein the metal is cleaned using a caustic solution, etched in an acid bath, and then dipped in an alkaline solution, before applying the coating thereto. A critical part of the procedure is the formation of a thin film of ferric salt on the surface of the metal (column 1, line 43), which by definition cannot occur with non-ferrous metals. In the present invention, both ferrous and non-ferrous metals may be used, as no specific metallic chemical compound is required in the coating of the buttons. Rather, the present invention utilizes a chemical bonding or prime coating, which is followed after curing by a coating of an elastomer material which is also allowed to cure. Thus, the present invention utilizes a liquid chemical coating which bonds to the metal, with the elastomer material bonding to the prime coat, rather than bonding the finish material directly to the metal, as does Hempel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,582 issued on Feb. 17, 1981 to Lonnie J. Bernier et al., titled "Dyeable And Dyed Polymer-Coated Articles," describes the powder coating of articles using various polyester, acrylic, or epoxy materials, and then heating the article and coating to cause the coating to adhere to the article. The coating is then dyed by suitable means. While the present invention provides for the use of colored coatings on buttons or the like, the method is entirely different, in that the coating material is dyed or colored first, before being applied to the substrate material. Moreover, the present invention does not use a powder coating method to apply the coating to the substrate, as disclosed by Bernier et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,488 issued on Jun. 14, 1983 to Yoshihiro Kanzaka, titled "Fabric-Covered Button," describes a mechanical system wherein the fabric material is sandwiched about its periphery between opposing solid members. The result is more closely related to the buttons of the Koehl et al. '182 U.S. Patent, than to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,320 issued on Apr. 8, 1986 to Akihiko Takata, titled "Button Having Plastic Resin Head," describes the mechanical fastening of the plastic head to the base of the button. The base is captured within the overlapping edges of the plastic head, by heating the base to soften the plastic and then inserting the base into a preformed cavity in the head. No chemical bonding of a coating to a metal substrate is disclosed by Takata, as provided in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,422 issued on May 7, 1996 to Ho Wen-Lung, titled "Crown Button Of A Cap," describes a retaining means for a cap crown button, which includes a metal cover with a fabric overlay peripherally captured between the cover and the underlying portion of the button. The result is more closely related to the buttons of the Koehl et al. '182 and Kanzaka '488 U.S. Patents, than to the present invention.
French Patent Publication No. -1,038,451 published on Sep. 29, 1953 illustrates different embodiments of a button having a trim overlay thereon. In each of the embodiments, the trim sheet is mechanically secured about the periphery of the button, with the result being more similar to the buttons of the Koehl et al. and Kanzaka U.S. Patents discussed above, than to the present invention.
German Patent Publication No. 1,201,101 published on Sep. 16, 1965 illustrates a button having upper and lower layers of fabric mechanically attached thereto. As noted above, this mechanical fastening of fabric to buttons, is more closely related to other patents described herein, than to the present invention.
Finally, British Patent Publication No. 2,137,867 published on Oct. 17, 1984 to Gregory C. Scott, titled "Buttons," describes a button having a fabric cover captured about its periphery between two rigid components, in the manner of the Koehl et al. and Kanzaka U.S. Patents described further above.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.